Dragons
by Cloud802
Summary: Of all the things the first challenge could have been it had to be dragons. -Short oneshot segment from a story I'm working on.- H/Hr


**A/N: This is a sample part from something I'm working on. I don't know how soon I'll be able to get really cracking on it, as I'm currently focused on my Evangelion fic, but I wanted to rewrite Harry Potter with a few key differences, one of them being Harry put into Slytherin.**

**This particular passage would be in Goblet of Fire. I just sat down and started writing, and maybe if I post this I'll be more inclined to give you guys the full product as soon as I start rolling out the tail end of my Evangelion fic. Look at me, changing random canons... heh. I'm not a Ron basher BTW, I love Ron, he's such an awesome dork.**

**EDIT: OF COURSE it's Charlie who works with the dragons. Stupid Weasley's and their one million family members. Seriously though, thanks madman.  
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"I wish you would stop doing that."

Click.

Clack.

Click.

Clack.

"I REALLY wish you would stop doing that."

Fred and George only grinned at Harry, then Fred opened his mouth.

Click.

George shoved his hand out to Harry, who was only sitting in the Great Hall... alone and trying to enjoy his late dinner while he waited for his friend to arrive. In George's hand was a curious little thing. It was aptly named a Click Clacker; it was round and blue, and tasted a bit like red licorice from the way Hermione had described it to him. The only problem was...

George stepped forward, opening his mouth along with Fred.

Clack.

Harry shook his head frantically. He had to eat, study, worry about dragons, talk with Ron and Hermione, and then do something important... in precisely that order... well, the something important had yet to be confirmed, but damn it all if Harry wasn't determined. He had no time to be clicking and clacking, and even less time to be a part of the twins' games. "Maybe later," he said softly.

Fred and Geroge frowned like petulant children before walking away.

Harry was sure they would be back.

The Twins' footsteps were followed by another pair echoing through the hall. One of them heavy, if not a bit clumsy, and the other highly composed and close together.

Harry suddenly didn't feel very hungry when he heard those second pair of footsteps.

In fact he felt rather full.

And his chest felt like it was about to explode.

Had he thought this through?

What was he thinking through again?

Then Harry encountered a problem, he was still sitting at the Slytherin table, knowing Ron that wouldn't make him very happy.

So Harry did what he thought was best.

He stood from the table and made his way to Gryffindor's side of the fence. Needless to say he hoped against hope that no one from his own house spotted him at the table, the last thing he needed was Malfoy avoiding him again, and it was hard enough to be around Ron and Hermione without setting the blond off in the first place.

Ron gave him a skeptical look.

If Harry didn't know better he would have thought Hermione would have to drag him to the table. As it was they both sat next to him, Hermione stuck in the middle, which made the whole thing even more awkward, "So..." said Harry, "Dragons." His attempt to break the ice went horribly... at least it seemed so in his eyes.

There was silence.

Agonizingly long, painful, and dreadful silence.

And then Hermione elbowed Ron in the ribs and gave him a scowl that would kill a lesser man. "Ronald. I know you don't like him but this is important."

Ron cleared his throat, "Y... yeah, my brother Charlie brought them in. One of 'em is a Hungarian Horntail."

Harry's eyes widened, "A what?"

Two trains of thought entered Harry's head then.

The first was, 'Oh good, so I can officially consider myself warned, and it wasn't just Hagrid being weird.'

The second was, "Bloody hell I'm gonna die."

Hermione frowned, "No, no Harry don't say that. Oh no, you've been reading 'Dragon: The Beast Unknown', haven't you?"

Harry nodded timidly.

Ron rolled his eyes and made to leave, walking out of the hall with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Ignore him," she said softly.

"He's not a bad person."

Hermione sighed and shook her head, "Harry, he's been doing this for three years, it's high time he stopped acting like this, the rest of his family loves you... and what did I tell you, don't touch that book, it's full of fallacies, and... and..."

"Dribble."

"Yes! Dribble!"

Harry buried his head in his hands. The first task involved dragons, of all things it could have been it had to be dragons. Of course, because his life wasn't crazy enough already. "Alright," said Harry, taking a deep breath, "For now I'll just put it to the back of my mind and try to enjoy my time off. The task isn't for another week."

Hermione nodded, "Good idea, but you can't keep putting it off."

"I know, you'll remind me like you always do."

She smiled in an almost superior fashion, as if to say, 'What would you do without me Harry James Potter?'

What would he do without her?

"Anyways," said Hermione, "I think it's best if we make ourselves scarce, Filch is bound to be skulking around the halls and it's almost curfew."

Harry gritted his teeth.

'Dragons,' he told himself.

'DRAGONS!' His mind screamed, 'You will die, now or never!'

"Erm... I kind of... had something else in mind actually..."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

Break curfew?

Hermione Granger would never do such a...

"Okay," she said slowly, "What's going on?"

Alright maybe she would.

"Nothing in particular." Harry suddenly found it difficult to talk. Funny... he never found talking to be difficult before, "I mean, it involves the invisibility cloak, and maybe some magic, and the Marauder's Map... and maybe sneaking to the edge of school grounds."

Her eyes narrowed.

Harry felt his blood run cold, "But it'll be worth it, trust me!"

"Harry, I already told you, I won't go sneaking around unless..."

"It's something important, yeah I know, but this is... kind of important I mean. Just not in a life or death sense."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p>The place he wanted to show her wasn't very far. Filch had been an easy person to avoid with the Map in possesion, and the invisibility cloak provided all the cover they needed, just in case they were boxed in accidently by a couple of teachers prowling for a midnight snack or something.<p>

The edge of the lake, the same lake that Harry had flown with Buckbeak when he had first met the creature. It reflected the night sky quite nicely, but that wasn't what they had come for.

Harry stuffed the cloak into his bag and tapped the map with his wand, "Mischief managed."

The lines disappeared from the map.

Hermione gave him a questioning gaze, but was silent as Harry led her to the water's edge and sat upon the grass.

She took a place next to him, "Harry, what are you..."

"Shh, just watch."

Slowly at first...

They started to spread out over the lake.

Glowing like an army of rainbow colored fireflies.

"Fairies?" asked Hermione.

Harry nodded, "Whenever there's a new moon they come out to the lake. Neville said it's to erm..." he looked away.

"Find a mate?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, they spread out and then trickle back into the forest slowly."

"It looks amazing," she said, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Harry choked on his own words. The boy who lived, defeated Voldemort in his first and second year, and helped free an innocent man the next, was afraid to say the words he wanted to, so he simply sat there, admiring the sight with Hermione.

"You didn't just bring me out here to show me this did you?" she asked with a sly smile.

Then again, she was the most brilliant witch he'd ever met or heard of, Rowena Ravenclaw be damned.

"No," he said, laughing as he felt the tension dissipate.

"Harry..." she frowned in thought, then shrugged to herself. She leaned to the side a little bit, resting her head on his shoulder. "You owe me for making me break curfew."

"This is important," he argued.

"Yes, yes it is."


End file.
